Summer life

My sophomore year is over and it feels too weird.  Wasn’t I just moving in yesterday?

So far, I have been loving being on Summer break and being on no schedule whatsoever (until work starts up later this month).

It was a lazy but fun Mother’s day over here this past weekend. I was in my pajamas until 2PM and as a family we watched a total of three movies within 24 hours.

My friend told me the other day that her family doesn’t sing “Happy Mothers day” to her Mom on Mothers day.   Are we just crazy or does anyone else do this?

Song or no song, I’m pretty sure Mom would disown us if we forgot to pick up a french silk pie for her on Mothers day.  That is one tradition that we don’t mess with anymore.
We also put together some of her favorites for her big day: Chocolates/bath soaps/ body lotions/ and perfumes.  She said it was a great day.

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My week so far:

                     Like I mentioned in my last post, I have become Mommy for the week.  The boys and I have been having so much fun together and I will miss hanging with them all day long after this week.

I truly felt like “Mommy” today when the boys were at school today.  I went to my pilates-barre class (which is kicking my butt) and brought my phone in with me like the other Moms just in case the boys needed me during the class.

The two of them are too funny.  On our way to baseball practice today J Biebs was playing on the radio and the the boys yelled, “Turn this off, he sounds like a girl!”

As cute and fun as these two are, this week has made me realize that having kids really is a full time responsibility.

Tara and I always joke about how we’re already excited to have babies of our own in the future ( Tara even has names picked out), but I know I still have lots to do and see in the world before then.

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Conor is running for student council (for next year) at the high school, so tonight the fam is  plotting catchy phrases for the publicity posters while praying for a Bulls win.  Elections are next week, so the campaigning is in full force.

GO BULLS!

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Happy Wednesday everyone!

So close

Just popping in to say hello!

After going home to watch Tara go to prom, I am back on campus for a few days of exams before Summer break begins.

Last weekend was the perfect break before finals for me, but it was such a tease.

Tara looked perfect for prom.

Her date picked her up in this.  How cool is this car?

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I really shouldn’t be complaining about having to study a little bit before Summer because I have it easy this semester. Since I was exempted from three of my finals, I ended up having to only take two. After preparing for five exams last semester, two feels like nothing.

Tonight’s final was Drug, Use, and Abuse which is not difficult,  just a memorization game that takes time to look over.

To get thru all the material without going insane, I planted my behind in different libraries each day this week.

For me personally, I have to be in a library during big exam weeks.  Facebook/Twitter is not as tempting to open when there are people behind your computer judging you for being on it during finals week at the library.

The days in the library paid off this week.  The exam was exactly like the review guide and I was finished in 26 minutes.

Now I’m just one Statistics exam away from finishing my Sophomore year and being on Summer break for three months.

My exam isn’t until Friday so tomorrow I have a free day-the best kind of day.

Luckily a group of us all have to take this final on Friday so we have decided to suffer thru it together and make a stats study day tomorrow.

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I’m already excited for next week because I get to nanny for two of my favorite cousins for the week.

Last time I nannied for the boys, we finished a 1,000 piece puzzle, went to the Zoo (where they let us pet stingrays), went to McDonald’s, and ended the day with one of their favorite movies, “Despicable Me.”

I need to start thinking of fun things to do each day, so if you have any ideas send them my way please.

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Just found this quote and I love it.

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Hope you all are having a great week!

Prom 2013

Hi everyone,

I am completely done with my sophomore year classes and it feels so strange.  Where did this year go?

I still have two finals before I can call myself an official summer break girl but since they are both not until later on in the week, I decided to come home for a long weekend.

Tara’s senior prom is tonight and since I’m home, I have gotten to experience the full prom prep today. I will also be able to go to the picture party later.

She went to Senior prom last year with a friend (our school doesn’t do junior prom) and since I was done with finals on May 1st (the day of the prom last year) Dad and I made it back on a flight that arrived in Chicago just in time for pictures.

I can’t believe it has already been one full year.

Tara had a great time last year and I’m sure this year will be even better because she will know the majority of the people there.  I miss prom.

Since our prom princess needed her beauty sleep and slept until 1 today, I have been in charge of picking up the green juice (we like to tell ourselves that this drink is necessary for making our skin glow in pictures, when really it is just yummy).

I was also appointed ”pinterest co-chair” (in charge of finding the perfect prom hairstyle for her)with Mom.

I think we are more excited for her to go to prom tonight than she is.

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Don’t worry, I’m still squeezing in some study time while sitting next to this sweet little pup.

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I love this song.  My final speech (one we record on our own and watch in class during the final time on Monday) is a special occasion speech.  I was thinking about what I would do this one on when Dad came up with the perfect idea.

Since this speech is supposed to be more like a toast, commencement speech, or eulogy, I have decided to make a toast.

I am going to pretend I am giving a toast to the future 2014 Boston Marathon winner.  I will focus on what a huge accomplishment running this distance (with such a great time) is for him or her, as well as how great our country is for not letting tragic acts of terror stop us from going after our dreams.

I think after I finish talking I will end by playing part of this song.

Have a great weekend everyone!

soulmates

If this week at school was given a title, it would be ‘best week ever.’

Between classes coming to an end, fun last events of the year, 80 degree sunshine, pool time, and meeting my soul mate, this week has been overwhelmingly perfect.

Meet my soul mate.  He is tall, blonde, gorgeous, and is an acapella singer in the “X-tension chords” group at my school (AKA: famous).

Listen to this boy’s voice (in the blue) at 1:16 and again at 3:34.

Amazing.

I have seen many of the X-chords shows and have picked him out as one of my favorites long ago, but up until this morning I never actually knew his name.

Although, I may be one of his biggest fans.  I mean, who other than a super fan would listen to his songs on her way to class?

My facebook stalking skills were at a pretty impeccable level this morning and I was able to find him quickly.

….It could be fate.  If you are reading this, I’m free all week for a study break date.

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Have a great Wednesday!

The best

Yesterday was the best.

After blogging Friday night, the nerves started coming back.

I talked with my friend Sam for a bit (who always gives the best pep talks) and he reminded me that the half marathon is for fun and that once I start running, the endorphins/adrenaline will kick in and the nerves will be gone.

I was able to sleep better after talking with him, but when I woke up at 5:45 to eat something and get ready to head out the door, I was shaking in my running shoes. I hate when this happens because when I get nervous I can hardly eat.  I basically shoved a bagel into my mouth because running 13.1 miles on an empty stomach is not the smartest idea.

My sister-friend, Natalie ran the race with me yesterday so we met up with each other around 6:20ish.  We walked a few blocks with some other girls to the starting line before realizing we both should use the bathroom before going for 13.1.

What I can say from my porta-potty experience yesterday: I don’t miss porta-potty lines and I don’t miss porta-potties.  I try to hold my breath for as long as I can because the smell is scary inside of these things.

The line was long but it actually did move pretty fast. Natalie and I crossed the starting line only 7 minutes after the race started.  (You can start whenever because each runner wears a chip timer.)

I can honestly say that this half marathon was my favorite.  Not once did I get the feeling that I was dying or bored.  Even though the race took place in the land of cornfields, the course was beautiful.

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I have a bad habit of reading other blogs or scrolling thru instagram on my phone during runs, and I forgot that in a crowded half marathon I should probably be paying attention to my surroundings than down at my phone.

I was sending Mom picture updates of the race, because her and Dad were waiting to board a flight and it was scheduled to take off about two hours after the race start.

In the first two half marathons I finished right under 2 hours, so I wanted to finish around that time again so that I could call them to let them know that I survived and was still alive.

I sent Mom the mile markers as I ran past them and right after I took mile 7′s picture, I ran into the guy in the grey shirt and fell to the ground (just for a second).

There was a water station 500 meters past the mile marker and when he grabbed a cup, he stopped right in front of me to drink it… I wasn’t expecting that. I laughed as I fell to the ground because I could probably count on one hand the number of times I went running and didn’t manage to fall at least once. #CLUMSY

For me, the finish line was the most exciting part.  You run right into the finishing chute at the 50 yard line of the football stadium filled with thousands of people cheering and music blasting.

I was definitely NO WHERE near the front of the pack, but I did find out that I ran this race 7 minutes faster than my personal best.

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Although today I can barely walk down the stairs from being so sore and stiff, I loved the Illinois half marathon.  I will definitely be running in this race again next year!

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I was surprisingly not very tired after the half marathon so I went to a fun event (Island themed)  that some of my friends were putting on.

It was a busy and exciting day.

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To top off a very exciting weekend, I went to my first Illinois baseball game today.

We played against Northwestern today and won.  Maybe I’m their newest good luck charm?

Baseball is a fun sport to watch but I will never understand why the boys slap each other’s butts throughout the game.

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I will never get sick of any form of this song.

Have a great Sunday all!

NERVOUS #ILHALFMARATHON

It’s been a day full of bursts of excitement followed by moments of panic.  I am running in the Illinois half marathon in the morning and the reality is sinking in.

I went to the race expo to pick up my race bib and I had the best time.  I realized what a running nerd I am after not being able to hide the most obnoxious grin on my face while looking at this table.

How fun are these headbands?  I had never seen these before but by the time I left the expo, giddy and with 5 in hand, I was convinced these were the greatest invention on Earth.

As excited as I was about this new running accessory, I didn’t actually try any of the headbands on until 20 minutes ago, while setting out tomorrow’s running outfit.

After buying 5 of these cool headbands, I’m not so sure I can rock the look.  It almost looks like I’m wearing a swim cap on my head because they’re such wide headbands. I’m sure someone in the fam will love one of these as a birthday present.

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I have a 5:45 alarm set to meet up with some friends who I will be running the half with and I think I am ready.

I’ve stuffed my body with lots of carbs all day, set out everything I need for tomorrow, and now I plan on watching a few episodes of Friends before getting to sleep early.

I should mention that I am becoming quite the technology gal.  After having a TV that doesn’t turn on for the past 5 days, I finally bought and set up my very first universal remote. (I ended up sending home my remote control with Tara last weekend while packing up some of my clothes for her to bring home for the summer.)

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Although I am already getting the nervous/jittery feeling, I plan on keeping my mind in the game tomorrow.  Long distance running is a complete mind game and once you get past your mental block, you can accomplish anything.

As cheesy as it sounds, this is one of the many life lessons running has taught me.  ”You can do anything you set your mind to with a little hard work and motivation. “

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I will need these mantras tomorrow!

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I know this one is old but it pumps me up and I have it as the first song of the official half marathon playlist.

Happy Friday everyone!

BOOM!

I survived my last round of speeches in my public speaking class today!  All we have left is our final exam speech which require videotaping ourselves speaking, bringing the video to class, and then watching it with everyone.  I think I feel an illness coming on that day…

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Thankfully the weather is perfect right now, but last week the forecast was pretty much cold and rainy each day. I know it’s a sad excuse but the weather made me quite the procrastinator in writing my 7-8 minute speech for this morning.

Nothing says “perfect napping conditions” quite like cold weather and rain.

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Putting off writing this speech last week was not one of my better ideas because it was a busy weekend.

My sorority had our spring barndance on Friday and then Tara and her friend Erin arrived to stay with me for the weekend Saturday morning.

It was a very fun weekend.  I loved barndance and Tara, Erin and I had a great time together.

I even convinced the girls into coming with me to watch my favorite male accapella group perform on Saturday.

This group is called the X-tension chords and they have been on the UIUC campus for 20 years now.  It was cool because this concert was their 20 year reunion so they brought back each of the generations to sing in the concert on Saturday.

I didn’t realize this was their 20 year reunion show until after the 1992 x-chords finished their first song of singing and dancing.  I was glad the newest X-chords (the hosts of the show) came out and announced that it was their reunion show, because after watching a group of 40 year olds sing songs we had never heard while shaking their bootys, Tara and Erin were thinking I was half crazy/half creepy.

I was getting looks from the two of them throughout the whole first song because I had just finished ranting about how much I love the X-tension chords.

I loved the concert.  I felt like I was on the set of Pitch Perfect, and it made me really want to join an acapella group here on campus.

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It was a fun filled weekend so that meant I was in the library all day Sunday.  Somehow, I put together a full 8 minute speech in one sitting.

Because I didn’t practice very much in advance, I was extremely nervous this morning while walking to class to give my speech.  I always think I’m going to get up in front of everyone, forget everything I wanted to say, and be shunned out of the classroom.

Luckily, I hit every point today and the timer boy told me I finished at 7 minutes and 59 seconds.

It was a “BOOM!” moment for sure.

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My mantras for Saturday.  13.1!!!!!!!!

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My most recent favorite running song that will definitely be on Saturday’s playlist.

*If anyone has any good running song recommendations, please send them my way!  I need new music.*

HAPPY MONDAY